BRITAIN-based northern-born jockeys have been in the news recently but not necessarily for riding horses.

One person who has been banging in the winners however is Newtownhamilton’s Brian Hughes who followed up last week’s five-timer at Musselburgh with a quartet of victories at Sedgefield on Tuesday.

Three of the four were Irish-bred including the first, Waiting Patiently, a five-year-old Flemensfirth gelding who landed the extended two-mile novices’ handicap chase on his first outing over fences.

Trained by Malcolm Jefferson and having just his fourth career start following two second placings and a win over hurdles last season, the Vincent Finn-bred bay is the first produce of the unraced Beneficial mare Rossavon. The half-sister to Ciara’s Prince (by Good Thyne) comes from the Morrows’ family of Glen Money, Mighty Mogul, Ballynagour, etc.

Sadly, Chris Meehan’s run of bad luck continues. The Crossgar-born jockey made international headlines in early July when, riding in Italy, he suffered a broken nose and a badly lacerated jaw in fall which was made dramatically worse when an ambulance reversed over his right leg, breaking it and dislocating his ankle.

Chris, who started riding with Colin McBratney and Brian Hamilton and worked for Willie Mullins and Neil Mulholland, recuperated at his parents’ home on the Ards Peninsula but was back riding out in England when, this week, he broke his leg again – this time off a trampoline!

SAME LEG

“I was just doing a bit of circuit fitness work and landed on the wrong leg and it snapped in exactly the same place as before,” Chris was quoted by the Press Association. “When I got out of the cast two months ago, they (doctors) told me if I break my leg again it would be a straight operation.

“I’m going on Thursday morning to have X-rays and to get my cast changed over so I’ll know a lot more then. I’m absolutely gutted – heartbroken, to be fair.”

Pat Cosgrave and Fergus Sweeney have been enjoying a far better time as the pair represented Ireland in South Africa last week as members of the visiting team taking on the locals in the Air Mauritius international jockeys’ challenge. The squad was captained by Frankie Dettori (Italy) and also comprised Hayley Turner (England), Rob Havlin (Scotland) and Aurelian Lemaitre (France).

Although Pat rode one winner at Fairview on Friday and Frankie recorded a double before lightning forced the abandonment of the final race in the series at Turffontein on Sunday, the home team ran out the easy winners for the seventh time in the nine years of the series. The international team featured in Friday night’s Get In programme on attheraces where we were treated to scenes of them jumping, twisting or somersaulting in the sea before joining them over the airwaves for dinner and drinks!